"You can't play hero and villain and expect it to work out, Olivia, look where that got your father"

♢ ♢ 

I had told Snape about what Hermione had planned and much to my surprise, he agreed that it was a good idea as long as I could keep Umbridge off our backs. As I left he said something to me, something that, at the time, I had ignored, "You can't play hero and villain and expect it to work out, Olivia, look where it got your father.." He grumbled as I slammed the door. Maybe he was right, maybe I was wrong but for the time, I was going to continue playing both sides until I could no longer do it.

There were still a few weeks until Christmas and I was trying my best to forget about my next meeting with the Dark Lord, however, I was getting very far as every morning I woke up with a burning pain surging through my arm where the Dark Mark was stained to my skin.

My nightmares had calmed down and I was now getting much better level of sleep, which I explained to Blaise as Draco had been asking. "So you and Draco are okay now?" Blaise asked as we sat together, hoping to discuss things privately in the quiet of the library. It was a Saturday and so no one would be pottering about the library other than some of the first years.

I nodded slowly, "We appear to be, yes, is he okay?" I asked with concern.

"I think so, he doesn't tell me much" Blaise explained with a shrug. "He misses you,"

I let out a sad sigh, "I miss him too" I confessed as a first year stumbled over with a pile of books in their hand. They placed the pile on the table, it was leaning as the first year turned to look at more books.

I watched as the tower of books slowly began falling, one landing on Blaise's arm. "Ah, Merlin's Beard kid, what do you need all those books for?" Blaise yelled as the first year apologized profusely. 

I stood up, helping to pick up some of the books when I spotted the book I had returned not long ago, the book on Wizarding cases that were never solved. "What you reading this for?" I asked with a raised brow as the first year turned red.

"Well, my mum's great, great, great uncle was the great, great grandad of Thomas Wales, I wanted to do some reading on what happened to him and his wife" The blonde haired boy admitted.

My mouth opened wide, as Blaise spoke, "Have some respect kid, that's her parents you're talking about!" He snapped.

The boy immediately shrunk back, "I'm sorry, I'll put it back, I promise!"

"Stay away from that case, don't get involved, you hear me?" I whispered as the boy nodded, racing away to put the book back.

Blaise and I decided to leave the library and head down to the Great Hall where dinner was soon to be served. "You alright?" He asked quietly from my side.

I nodded, "It's not every day that someone goes near that book wanting to read up on my parents case," I explained.

He smiled at me, "I guess it's not"

♢

It was Sunday morning and I was waiting outside the tavern that Hermione had told me to wait at. I was dressed up in gloves, hat and scarf as small flecks of snow fell from the white sky.

"Who'd wanna be taught by me? I'm a nutter remember!" I heard Harry's voice as it traveled towards me. I chuckled as they approached.

"Still not sure?" I asked with a slight snigger as we opened the door, exposing a rather small, empty tavern. "Who's supposed to be meeting us then?" I asked.

"Just a couple of people" Hermione smiled as we wandered towards the backroom.

♢

As I sat, peering out at all the people that turned up, I started to worry, these people were willingly here to try and make a difference, had it ever occurred to them that his may be dangerous? I sighed, maybe.

Hermione stood up, "um...hi, you all know why we're here.." She started as I peered round at familiar faces.

I saw, Nigel, Neville, Ginny, Fred, George, Cho, Luna, Dean but I didn't expect to see Blaise stood at the back of the room smiling at me. I smiled back at Hermione carrid on, "We need a teacher," She paused, "A proper teacher, one who's had real experience against the dark arts,"

"Why?" Someone from the crowd asked.

"Why?" Ron repeated, "Because you know who's back you tosspot!" Ron snapped.

"So they say"

"So Dumbledore says" Hermione grumbled.

The boy scoffed, "So Dumbledore says because they say, point is, where's the proof?"

Another spoke up, "If Potter and Wales could tell us more about how Diggory got killed--"

I stood up, infuriated, "We won't sit here and indulge in your morbid curiosity, we've been battling nightmares since it happened and yet you dare sit here, looking for your next bit of gossip, looking for another way to try and ruin Cedric's families name, it's not happening!" I snapped as Harry stood beside me, gently placing a hand on my shoulder.

"We're not going to talk about Cedric so if that's why you're here you might as well clear out now" Harry said sternly before he turned to Hermione and I. "Come on, lets go, they're all here because they think I'm some sort of freak"

"--Is it true you can produce a patronous charm? Both of you?" Luna asked, I nodded as Hermione smiled,

"Yes, I've seen it"

"Blimey guys, I didn't know you could do that" Dean said with an open mouth.

Neville nodded, "I heard he killed the Basilisk with the sword from Dumbledore's office!"

Ginny nodded, "It's true"

Ron giggled, "He fought off about a hundred dementors at once"

Blaise stood up from the back of the room, "And Olivia, she entered her home and fearlessly looked her step fathers attacker in the eye" He smirked at me with a nod.

Everyone knew about Silus by now, rumor spread quickly once it got out. "And last year, they really did fight off you know who in the flesh"

"Right," Harry said, he was agitated, "It all sounds great when you say it like that, but the truth is, most of that was just luck, and I didn't know what I was doing half the time, I nearly always had help," He paused, giving Hermione a second to look at everyone,

"He's just being modest"

"No, I'm not, facing this stuff in real life is not like school, in school if you make a mistake you can always try again tomorrow, but out there when you're seconds away from being murdered or watching your best friend die.." Harry looked at me as everyone ducked their heads down.

"You don't know what that's like..." I said, finishing Harry's speech.

Hermione sat down along with Harry and I. "You're right, we don't. That's why we need your help...because if we're going to have any chance of beating -- Voldemort,"

Nigel looked at me, "He's really back"

I nodded, "Yeah,"

Everyone stood in silence, absorbing all the information for a few seconds before Hermione spoke up once more, "We're going to be sat near the bar, if anyone wants to join just write you're name down on the list.." She explained as everyone got up, moving towards the front room where the bar was. Blaise hung back.

"Give me a second" I mumbled as everyone lined up to put their name on the list. "Not signing up?" I asked with a slight smirk.

He shook his head, "You think it'd go down well if I did?"

I chuckled, "Well no, thank you, for dramatizing what happened that day"

He snorted, "I'm always here to spice things up" He looked around for a second as more people signed up. "You telling Draco about this little club?" He asked in a whisper.

I shook my head, "Will you?" I asked.

"I won't if you won't" He smirked with a small laugh. "I'll catch you round Oli" He smiled, heading out the door.

"Catch you later, Blaise.."